Galway taxi drivers fare well to lose the pounds

Date Published: {J}

The twelve Galway taxi drivers taking part in RTE’s Operation Transformation are already out-performing everybody’s expectations – surpassing their target weight loss of two stone in their first week.

And in doing so, the team from Galway Taxis has smashed the online polls where 60% of people voting predict they were the group who would have the toughest time sticking to the plan.

The group have received massive support in their home city of Galway with local businesses coming on board to sponsor them to lose weight and raise up to €25,000 for Cancer Care West and cancer patients in the West of Ireland.

None of the participating male drivers are under 17 stone in weight – at least before this week – and the heaviest is 22 stone.

Gerry Corbett of Galway Taxis said that much of the money raised will be dependent on the amount of weight that is lost. “We are getting a sponsor for each of the taxi drivers. Each of these sponsors will fork out €50 for every pound lost”, Mr. Corbett added.

The participating drivers are Kieran Lyons, Paddy Joe Scully, Donal Conneely, Terry Dolan, Yvonne Ruane, Kevin Cooney, Bernard Creaven, Declan Giles, Gerry Molloy, Leo Murphy, Peter Gibbons and Kieran Egan.

They are calling on their fellow Galwegians to support them in achieving this by asking members of the public to select their favourite taxi driver from the group of twelve and to pledge a donation per pound that their chosen taxi driver loses during the eight week period.

All funds are donated to Cancer Care West.

The Galway Taxis group are going head to head with a group of housewives from Meath, and a group of politicians – including Senator David Norris – based in Dublin.

You can contact Cancer Care West to pledge your support on 091 545000, or email operationtransformation@can

cercarewest.ie or www.cancer

carewest.ie